Teacher Training

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many teacher-training places have been available in Northern Ireland during the past five years; and what is the estimated number of places needed during the next five years in each of the institutions offering teacher training in the Province.

For 1988–89, a total of 735 places have been allocated — 110 to Queen's University of Belfast, 145 to the University of Ulster and 240 each to St. Mary's and Stranmillis colleges. Intake places beyond 1988–89 have not yet been determined and estimates would be unreliable.

Eastern

Northern

Southern

Western

Mid-1986 estimate of population

642,100

379,000

288,900

256,800

Hospital and Community Health Services and Family Practitioner Services

525

285

355

390

Personal Social Services

85

61

63

63

Total

610

346

418

453

Hospital and Community Health Services and Family Practitioner Services

545

294

366

404

Personal Social Services

88

63

65

66

Total

633

357

431

470

1 These figures include expenditure which is incurred centrally by the Department and which is not possible to attribute to individual Boards.

2 Comparisons of per capita spending by Boards are not meaningful as administrative populations do not coincide with actual catchment populations for man services including regional medical services, acute hospital services, psychiatric and mental handicap hospital services.